The Importance of Searching and Googling Your Name
Nowadays, just about everybody can look for information online. Imagine googling your name and seeing tons of relevant results. It’s a bit disheartening to see one name having a criminal record, and you might be mistaken for that particular person.
For this reason, it’s crucial to search yourself to see what you’ll find online, whether you’re a student applying to school, a job-seeker, a C-Level executive, or a retiree. Keep on reading to learn more about the importance of searching and googling your name online.
Facts and figures on searching names
As mentioned, most people love to search for information online. Whether you like it or not, people may even look for your name online to learn more about you. For instance, your name will be looked up either for informal searches or for contracted third-party background checks. Take a look at the facts and figures regarding online name searching:
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One billion names are googled every day.
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Only 50 per cent of people own their first result - which is the most important.
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About 1 in 4 people have no positive content at all on the first page for their Google name search.
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Fifteen per cent of people have at least one negative result on the first page that damages their reputation.
The statistics above say enough about why you need to google your name and to determine whether or not there’s any negative implication. Ultimately, your personal reputation matters, especially if people search for your name online!
The importance of searching your name online
Online presence is powerful, both on a personal and business level. On a more personal note, your online presence may impact your application, job, career, business engagements, relationships, and life in general. Let’s further take a look at specific statistics regarding this perspective.
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Seventy per cent of college admissions officers consider students’ online presence “fair game” when evaluating applicants.
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An estimated 90 per cent of executive recruiters search for candidates online before extending an offer.
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Seventy per cent of employers use social media to screen candidates.
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Among those who use online dating sites, over 34 per cent go online to check up on their dates.
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More than 16 per cent of all internet users have looked online for more information about someone they were dating or in a relationship with.
The impact of a negative online reputation
Now that you’ve learned the importance of your online presence, you should be wary of the impact that you will receive due to a negative online reputation. There are different categories that you don’t want your name to be associated with and below are some common types of negative results that can damage your name online:
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Recreational drug use
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Alcohol use or alcohol abuse
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Sexually explicit, nude or sexually suggestive content
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Unprofessional language and communication skills
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Unethical behaviour
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Criminal behaviour
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Bullying, violent or aggressive behaviour
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Polarising views
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Bigoted behaviour
Taking control of your google results
Knowing your online presence is one thing, and doing what it takes to manage your online presence is another. The best way to take control of your Google results is to google it first and know how to proceed. For your guide and reference, here are the basic steps to manage your online reputation:
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Scan and audit search results.
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Remove all negative or irrelevant content.
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Build an informative, professional, and engaging online presence for yourself.
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Cultivate and interact with your online audience and communities.
At this point, you now realise the importance of guarding your online presence. Along with this is the need for online reputation management. Consider the valuable steps outlined above to ensure that you know where you stand and what you need to do to manage your online reputation.
If you are looking for online reputation management services, get in touch with us today! We’re happy to help.
